Biting the Bullet

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a 45-minute ranger-led program about “biting the bullet” at the Snodgrass Cabin (Tour Stop 8). Participants are encouraged to follow the “Special Program” signs from the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center and to bring a chair, water, and to wear clothing appropriate for the weather.

“Biting the bullet” is a term often used to describe the horrors of limbs being amputated and other ghastly wounds being treated by Civil War doctors. However, the “bite of the bullet” caused so much suffering and dying during the war. The minié ball was vicious, entering the body and biting a jagged path that was not often clear. The soft lead deformed quickly, causing the bullet to veer off in any given direction inside the human body. During the Civil War, gunshot wounds were ghastly as minié balls entered and ripped flesh, often crushing bone as it traveled. No such bullet that can cause so much destruction to the human body is allowed to be used in war today. We hope you will join us to learn more about the wounds associated with being “bit by the bullet” during the Civil War.